Chapter 39

When Mum finishes winding Milo, she passes him back to me. Whether she senses I need to hold him close to me or she knows she’s hogged him to herself for too long, I don’t know, but I’m grateful to have him back.

Silence settles between us, but the annoyance and disappointment have vanished. I rock Milo gently until he drifts off to sleep again. Where’s Brodie? If only he would come home. I want him to get to know my mum better. I should call him, ask him to come back.

“How would you feel about me coming back here to live? I could help you with looking after Milo when you work. I’m not going to get under your feet or take over. Trust me, you can have all the parental struggles and strife. I want to be the happy nana, the one to spoil him.”

Well, that pulled the rug from under my feet. Drew was right after all. He said she’d be back here in a flash. Maybe that was one of my reasons for keeping Milo to myself for a little longer.

It’s a great idea, though, and I’m not going to turn down her offer of help. It may even give Brodie and me some grown-up time every now and then. The memory of last night floods my mind, and the need for us to connect again flares up. I don’t want to have to leave it as long before we can do that again.

“When do you think you’ll be here?” I laugh, the vibrations making Milo stir and open his eyes. “What do you think, my boy? Do you want your nana here?”

Milo gurgles as he smiles, and I bend down to kiss his forehead. “It’s a yes from him.”

“I’ll have to give Stacey a call. She’s still an estate agent, isn’t she?” Mum asks.

“Why? You’ve got our house.”

“That’s your house, Ivan. I signed it over to you after I moved to Plymouth. No, it’s simple. I’ll sell my home there and find something smaller in Calston Cove. Why don’t we have a look online?”

We find a few properties that are suitable for her, but I’m concerned about the prices of the smaller houses. “These are crazy prices, Mum. I’m going to sell mine, and you can have what you need from the proceeds.”

“Don’t be silly. I have enough money. Your dad didn’t leave me penniless. And anyway, you might need that house in the future.”

I stiffen. What is she saying? Does she think Brodie and I will break up and I’ll need a home? “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She blinks a couple of times, looking affronted. “It means you may want to keep it for Milo. You can turn it into one of those Airbnb places. Earn an income from it instead of letting it sit almost empty.”

Huh? That’s actually a good idea. It will give me a tidy passive income while I spend as much time as possible with Milo. Even the winter draws the surfers in, or I could offer rooms to Merrick’s artists. It’s not a big house, unlike some of the holiday homes in the town. Plenty of wealthy people have second homes here. Like Kate’s parents. I hadn’t thought about their house here. Does their refusal to care for Milo mean they won’t come back? Would they dare? They probably know where Kate has run off to. God, I’d like to have five minutes with them and ask what the fuck they were thinking. How could they deny their own flesh and blood?

Maybe their house will go up for sale. Stacey would be one of the first to know, and since Mum will be paying her a visit, I can ask her to let me know if she hears from them or sees them.

The front door opens, and footsteps click-clack on the flagstones in the hallway. The expression on Brodie’s face tells me something has happened. Where has he been? Who has he been talking to?

“Brodie? Babe, what’s wrong?”

“I’m okay.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I’ll go put Milo down in his crib and stay with him,” my mum says, tactfully giving us some privacy.

As she leaves the room, I hold out my arms. “Talk to me.”

He shakes his head and tucks his head against my neck, inhaling deeply. We stay like this for a few minutes while I run my hands up and down his back. Finally, he lifts his head.

“I told my mum about me moving here and us and Milo.” His voice is shaky, and I hate it. Brodie is always so strong, so positive. I couldn’t have got through the past month without his support.

“Oh, I guess it didn’t go well. What did she say?”

“Nothing. At first, she was happy, positive about me being here, about how thrilled she was I’d met someone. Until I told her I was in love with you, a man. Then she went quiet. The silence continued for at least a couple of minutes until she ended the call.”

“Shit, I’m so sorry. Do you think she’ll come round?” This surprises me. Brodie has always said his parents are laid-back, open-minded people. Perhaps they are when it doesn’t involve their son. How lucky I’ve been with my parents. Neither of them batted an eyelid when I came out as bi. They simply smiled and hugged me for being honest with myself and of course warned me to be careful and safe. I managed the first but somehow fucked up the second and ended up with Milo. “Are you going to try to talk to them again?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I should leave it for a while. Let them mull it over. Not that it makes a difference to how I feel about you and Milo. I love you, and if they can’t accept it, that’s on them. They’re the ones missing out.”

“I love you too, babe. Would some good news help?” I kiss his forehead.

“Did we win the lottery?”

“You wish. No, it’s about my mum. She’s going to move back and help with Milo when we’re working.” I grin as he laughs. “Yeah, yeah. I know Drew called it. It will be helpful, though, don’t you think?”

“It will as long as her prices aren’t too high.”

“I wasn’t planning on charging,” my mum says as she walks down the stairs.

Brodie blushes adoringly and buries his head back in my neck. “Sorry, Mrs Machin.”

“I told you to call me Sarah. Milo is asleep again. I’ve changed him, so I reckon you’re good for a couple of hours of peace and quiet. I’m going to go and talk to Stacey about those houses we looked at.” She pats our shoulders as she walks past us. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Where are you staying? We have plenty of room here.” Brodie offers, surprising both me and my mother.

“Thank you, but I won’t. I’m going home tonight, but I can be back again on Monday if you need me. Otherwise, it won’t be until I start viewing the properties.”

With a wave from her car, she’s gone.

Brodie tugs me close, his eyes dark and heavy with lust.

“We should make the most of the quiet. What d’you think?”

“I think it’s a fine idea. I want your cock in my mouth and then in my arse.”

A low moan escapes me. Nothing is sexier than Brodie telling me what he wants. He admitted that talking dirty was new to him, that he was never brave enough when he was with women. “Oh yeah? What else do you want?” Something flitters across his face as if he has an idea he’s not sure he can say. “You can tell me when we’re naked, and whatever it is, the answer is yes.”